Buffalo Marathon=cheap bastards

I rarely stick around for awards whether I win or not, nor is it my responsibility to stick around as Jason suggests. There is a duathlon in my area that serves free beer, so I'll hang around there for the awards. I've got better things to do with my time than stand around for two hours to receive a cheap plaque or trophy.

However, I also never expect them to mail me anything if I am not present for the awards.

walter wrote:

I rarely stick around for awards whether I win or not, nor is it my responsibility to stick around as Jason suggests. There is a duathlon in my area that serves free beer, so I'll hang around there for the awards. I've got better things to do with my time than stand around for two hours to receive a cheap plaque or trophy.

However, I also never expect them to mail me anything if I am not present for the awards.

You're missing part of what makes running and racing great. And that's sad for you.

Talking to others after races is one of the great joys of the sport. Truly, I feel sorry for you that you miss this sportsmanship and camraderie.

Whether you've won an award or not, just hanging out with like-minded folks is worth my time. Frankly, I don't have better things to do with my time than that and I have enough respect for race directors and their efforts to take their cheap plaque or trophy and not be disrespectful about it. And even if there's no way I've won anything, I respect those that have won.

Walter, you are a first-class turd, except for the beer drinking and not expecting people to mail you stuff part of your post.

July 1 and still I have not received my check and trophy/plague.

Sorry, age groups awards just aren't meaningful at all to me. If they want me to stick around then they should award only overall awards and that's it. I'd definitely stick around and applaud that and I'd probably never win any awards that way.

d2xccoach wrote:

Jason - I normally agree with a lot of things you write on here, but this time I think you're off base. First off, I don't see anywhere on the Buffalo website where it says you "must be present to win". Second, as a prize money race Buffalo should have been catching all the money winners in the chute and telling them to stick around. It sounds like if the OP knew he/she was getting an award he/she would have stuck around. The race bears some level of responsibility to make their system work.

We're talking about mailing a check here. Check, envelope, stamp, done. If we were talking about mailing something with weight or size that's a different story.

We're talking about different things here. I am talking about showing respect to the race where you just won some prize money. These race directors work their rears off for many months to make sure that things go as planned, and yes, sometimes things do get screwed up. Happens all the time in Thailand, but I always stick around to get my 2000 baht (about 60 bucks) or the trophy. By leaving before the award ceremony, you are basically saying "I don't care how many months you worked on setting this thing up Mr. Race Director, I need to go have my Happy Meal and a Fresca. My agent will call you later."

This is a female masters runner, which I doubt would have an agent. And I imagine has not won too many money prizes.

The beef with the RD is the cost to mail the check and timeliness of mailing the check

Often these race directors pay out hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for medals, ribbons, plaques, trophies, etc. What may seem like a silly prize to you looks like $$ going to waste to a race director.

You are the reason that races are giving out fewer awards, less prize money, and giving out silly things that someones grandmother had sitting around in her basement. They've probably had so many people NOT stay for an award that they've decided to do away with them.

I don't understand- you win an award...you stay to accept your award. If you cannot stay due to whatever issue it may be, you talk to the race director, leave your contact information, and be on your merry way. If there is some sort of fee for postage and the race director asks you to pay, pay it. By you forgoing the award ceremony you forfeit your "free" award...it was available for free but you had better things to do, so now you may need to pay a couple bucks to have it DELIVERED to your house. boo hoo.

Just as a personal opinion but I always thought it was incredibly cocky of someone to either

a) not show up for the awards ceremony

or

b) show up, get your award, then leave immediately afterward and not wait to see others get their awards.

What is so hard about asking someone if you will be getting an award and if you should stay for the ceremony?

What is wrong with you?

Einstein....how does a female masters runner realize she might be a AG winner? There must be 30-50 other females that have already finished in the recovery area.

So you suggest EVERYONE who finishes a race stay for the awards?.....you know, just in case.... and to show respect for a RD.

Fine, scrap age group awards entirely, give that money as cash prizes to overall and masters winners instead. No more waste.

or you guys could just go ASK if they've figured out what place you were in the race and if you should stick around for the awards.

And yes, you should give some respect to the RD. Have you ever organized a race? It's not a simple task that takes a few days to throw together.

politelydisagree wrote:

This is a female masters runner, which I doubt would have an agent. And I imagine has not won too many money prizes.

The beef with the RD is the cost to mail the check and timeliness of mailing the check

I was just being facetious.

WhoHooooo!

I finally got my trophy today. The 6 inch trophy came in two pieces, it was broken. I paid $10 for the RD to spend $5.41 to UPS me a broken trophy

And the RD neglected to also include my $$$. Wonder how much he is going to chrage me to mail me a check?

Is This The Norm? wrote:

WhoHooooo!

I finally got my trophy today. The 6 inch trophy came in two pieces, it was broken. I paid $10 for the RD to spend $5.41 to UPS me a broken trophy

And the RD neglected to also include my $$$. Wonder how much he is going to chrage me to mail me a check?

this is funny as hell. F-the trophey.. pay another 7 bucks and mail it back with a nice big dump in the box.

Read U.S. Postal Service’s Domestic Mail Manual, section 10 to find out the proper way to package so you don't violate the law.

i'm gonna find another race around here that Beishline is RDing with a printed copy of this thread

This guy actually does this for a living? He is a full time RD? I met the guy last year and he must be in his low to mid 100's. Two days older than dirt.

Was he once a runner, jogger? Gallowalker?

Finally got a check today. Now I have to convince the RD to replace my broken trophy.

Maybe you will learn to stick around for the awards ceremony next time.

is this the norm? wrote:

Finally got a check today. Now I have to convince the RD to replace my broken trophy.

Who gives a shit about your broken trophy? Why the hell do you even care? Are you going to place it on a mantle? Show it off to your hobby jogger friends? If you are good enough to win money at a race, you are good enough to have way too many of trophies by now.

Honestly, stop being a little prick and grow up. You got your money. Oh yeah, you had to pay 10$. Oh my god. 10$!

Two options I see here:

A.) You have a job, in which case this one time 10$ thing that came as a result of doing something you presumably love means way too much to you.

Or B.) You are currently posting from home in your moms basement because you don't have a job.